Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam are carrying on with their expedition across the southern Atlantic. Having benefited for the last few days from a 25-knot North-Westerly flow, the Cheminées Poujoulat skippers are still well in the lead, ahead of their competitors. Less than 48 hours away from reaching the Indian Ocean, the Franco-Swiss duo is making the most of its journey, and will soon be ready to cast the Argo sensor, used to gather scientific data.
Credit : Cheminées Poujoulat
His clear voice, playful tone and chatty manner leave no possible doubt: Bernard Stamm is nothing but a happy sailor! The scene described in great detail by the Swiss is far from the idyllic tropical paradise you would imagine, but seems to satisfy the skipper nonetheless: "The clouds are quite low, typical southern miserable weather! We're trying to keep to winds that will take us to the East. But it's not always easy to pick up speed, because the sea is pretty rough. I can't complain though, we're still making good progress. Last night wasn't too much of a catastrophe. We're heading towards lower winds, and things will probably slow down even more tonight. It's not too cold yet - 18°C outside - we're still in the warm part of the depression. Tomorrow we will have passed the front and the Antarctic air will hit us. However, up on deck the weather is terrible, we're walking around in our raincoats and muffs! "
Well in the lead
Today is not the day for sipping coffee out on the deck, that is a given, but these weather conditions have nonetheless ensured Bernard Stamm and Jean Le Cam their place at the head of the pack for the next few days. Obviously, their lead has lessened somewhat over the last 48 hours - the second in line, Guillermo Altadill and José Munoz, are only 100 nautical miles away now - but that has come as no surprise according to the Cheminées Poujoulat skipper: "The Neutrogena team's route was planned all along, they are sailing via the South and therefore have a shorter journey. However, I must say we are surprised to see how little the no-go zone has bothered them". No need to worry for now though, and no regrets as to their choice of route, sailing much further North than their competitors.
Skippers and citizens!
As we now know, from a race point of view, the duo do not have anything to complain about regarding their luck or choices, especially as their entrance into the Indian Ocean - scheduled for Saturday during the night - should be smooth, and good weather is forecast. However, today is quite special for Bernard, a truly involved citizen who, in partnership with Oceanopolis - the ocean discovery park - accepted during the last Vendée Globe tour to take a mini laboratory on-board with him so he could collect measurements and samples. Indeed, the race's management team has just given the go-ahead for the competitors to cast their Argo sensors to sea, with a view to collecting salt measurements and water temperature data. Throughout the day, weather permitting, the skippers will be required to cast the 20-kg instrument and provide the organisational team with its coordinates. This is a unique opportunity for the skippers to contribute to the study and preservation of their favourite play area. The Swiss skipper was pleased to complete the engaging task: "I don't need any convincing for this kind of operation! It's a very interesting initiative. It's no man's land here, no other boats would have any reason to follow this high-wind and high-current route. It would be silly not to make the most of our journey to gather a little data". When ocean racing and science join forces...
From Rivacom
